Never doubt how a small, thoughtful and committed pollinator habitat (in your garden) can change the world

Part of the 2017 Oregon Master Gardener Advanced Training Series. Pollinator populations are under stress from all sides. Be it from habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide exposure, or the spread of new diseases, pollinators face many challenges. The good news is that these damaging effects can be reversed through the retention or restoration of small bits of natural habitat. And there is particularly prominent habitat fragment that a lot of us have control over: our gardens. In this session we will dive deep into how to create pollinator habitat. What plants do you need? How do you get things established? Do you need to prepare a place for pollinators to nest? And what about host plants for butterflies? After working through some of the more common challenges with building pollinator habitat, the session will conclude by returning to what current science has to say about how your modest activities might link up and contribute to overall urban pollinator health.

Presented by: Dr. Andony Melathopoulos

Andony Melathopoulos is a new Assistant
Professor who, since 2016, has been leading OSU’s efforts to design, implement
and evaluate a state-wide pollinator health program. OSU’s work around
pollinator health comes out of a mandate from the Oregon Legislator. Each year
he provides training to over 1000 pesticide applicators on how to reduce
pesticide exposure to pollinating insects, he hosts a weekly podcast on
pollinator health (PolliNation) and is currently working on a number of
education products designed for helping homeowners and landscapers better understand
how to manage pests while minimizing impacts to pollinators. He also sits on
the steering Committee of the Oregon Bee Project, which coordinates pollinator
health work across state agencies. He has over fifteen years’ of experience in
pollinator health extension, which includes over 30 peer-reviewed papers,
speaking at industry and public meetings, writing for trade journals (over 40
articles), conducting qualitative risk assessments for government agencies and
developing public education activities.